It is not complicated.....

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     Another day, another gaggle of people who need something, feel neglected, oppressed, and discriminated against.   A group of people have determined that they do not want Ted Cruz to come to McAllen, Texas and ride in the 4th of July Parade.  It is a group named La Union del Pueblo Entero....or the Union of the Entire People.  For the past fifty years, in the County of Hidalgo, Texas various groups and organisations have been established, Colonias del Valle, United Farmworkers, La Raza Unida, and so forth, designed to forward projects that would be helpful for the poor and oppressed. 

     Many were established as offshoots from the Cesar Chavez United Farmworkers Organizing Committee, back in the latter 1960s.  Chavez, of course, was very anti-Mexican to the point he wanted the frontier closed down complete to Mexican legal (and illegal) labour.  His lieutenant, Antonio Orindain was more intelligent, also from Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and had a genuine notion that he could fuse marxist dogma with capitalism and free enterprise somehow.  I was graced to have had fifteen or sixteen fairly long 'platicas' with Tony back in the 1970s when "fighting poverty" was very vogue.

     Since the dawn of the War on Poverty, one of the greatest sociological snake-oil schemes in human history, we have developed a residual group that was always ready to make the point that poverty was being caused by the wealthy, the industrious, by those who prepared for the future and for themselves and their families without expecting to be helped by a friendly government.
     Programme after programme was proposed and implemented.  Head Start, free school lunches, bilingual education, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Section 8 Housing assistance, various types of food stamp incarnations (food stamps, SNAP,  Lone Star Card), Medicaid have all been provided for people who for one reason or another have not been able, or perhaps willing,  to jump onto the train of plenty, no matter how slowly it passes by.

     Now we are told by various communities through their elected officials that they do not want the State of Texas to require localities (counties and incorporated cities) to comply with the federal laws and regulations that require these localities to notify federal immigration authority to come and take possession of a known illegal alien who is being released from penal or administrative detention.  Some cities and other jurisdictions declare that they do not want to force people into the shadows.   They declare that if people are stripped of sanctuary "immunity" they will not co-operate with police in other local investigations involving "really serious crime".   Such logic or rationalization is, to put it mildly, absurd.

     We see the fusion of visions, ideas, movements, and a confusion of preconceptions that fog the intellectual view.   First of all, the illegal aliens of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were of a different cut.  The Braceros were of a different cut.  Neither of these two groups caused much if any social disorder.  The native Spanish / Mexican colonial types from the Escandon era caused little or no problem.  At times, in spite of being a positive economic and social presence, they were dealt with in less than positive ways.
     But, since the amnesty of 1987 and the flood of public assistance that removes the need for paternity for many, we have seen a decline.   In recent years we have been inundated with undocumented people, and during the past eight years, the numbers have become insufferable. 

     We have a situation now that sees about 1,000,000 Mexicans entering and leaving the Texas and the United States daily.  Legal day workers, tourists, buyers and shoppers, investors, and all nature of legal and beneficial activity.  It was estimated by various analysts that during the period from 2009 through 2016, about 1,000 Mexican and Other Than Mexican (OTM), illegal aliens made their way past the Border Patrol and arrived at various destinations to the north.   As that time period progressed, the OTM began to outnumber, substantially, the Mexican cohort of that population of 1,000 per day (estimate).  Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Red China, and various nationalities of Middle Eastern origin frequently, and then almost always, outnumbered the Mexican illegal alien count.

     Some of this can be directly laid at the feet of the Obama State Department personnel who would explain on Honduran radio and television how to circumvent American immigration laws simply by taking minor children, crossing the Rio Grande, and then surrendering to the nearest available Border Patrol Agent.   The Roman Catholic Church and the national Episcopal Church and various other entities assisted passing these people as quickly as possible to the north where they would join up with "family" in Boston, Milwaukee, Harrisburg, Charlotte, etc.   It is estimated that more than 85% will never report for their Administrative Immigration Hearing.

     But we have a extra benefit.  We have politicians, up to and including the Republican Rudy Giuliani (the numerous remainder are almost all Democrats) who declare that "sanctuary" is needed so that the police can rely upon the reportage of the illegal aliens who know that they will not be "turned it" after giving information to the local constabulary.   But, the criminal element, which has exploded, has brought crime and rot into the Lower Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and many communities large and small, at such a level that could not have been imagined 20 years ago.  We have seen a doubling of population, and a quintupling of serious crime.   Murders, drive-by shootings, home invasions, kidnapping, rape, illegal detention of illegal aliens (holding them in a small "safe-house" while shaking down relatives in Honduras for another 1,000 dollars or their family member might not be coming back home).  Some of these "detentions" are in houses with no ventilation, little or no running water for bathing or sanitary matters.  At times there might be from 10 to 40 people jammed into pitifully small space.
     It is almost daily that we hear of, or even experience, a police pursuit of a coyote driving 60 - 90 miles per hour through heavy urban traffic, with eight or nine police units chasing after the hapless sap in his stolen SUV with 15 people jammed inside, and/or with a tonne of marijuana and/or cocaine.
     The idea of building up a body of illegal aliens to be available to turn in other illegal aliens is perhaps the best example of leftist social engineering madness that can be demonstrated.  It is something akin to suggesting to the "Local Pyromaniac Community" that they should set a lot of fires every night so that the Fire Department can find out where the fires are.  It would be best, of course, to have all the pyromaniacs in prison, making license plates.

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     While it is my personal thinking that the draconian procedures required for a Mexican, in particular, to obtain an American entry visa for either general or specified purposes represent a bit of over-kill, certain facts have to be recognised.   In spite of the high fees, and seemingly endless paperwork, and the unpleasantness of American embassy and consular workers, the fact is that about 20,000,000 Mexicans have tourist or business or educational visas to enter the United States.  Also, while the original procedures are cumbersome and difficult, laden with accusatory questions that often range well beyond insulting, renewals are fairly easy, especially if there are no "marks" on the record.  And, the terms of validity are lengthy....sometimes five, even up to ten years.
     Another category of visitor's permit is commonly accessed by people who live right along the frontier.  It is the MICA which permits a visitor to enter for up to 72 hours, but only to the extent of penetration into the United States of one county's depth.   There are about 12,000,000 of those cards.  Both permits also require a Mexican Passport, and in these times, the very reliable Credencial Federal Electoral.
      As one might imagine, the holders of these permits and visas are very careful and compliant with said documents.

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     Next, we would like to point out, when a Mexican decides to apply for American citizenship, it is a laborious, sometimes seven year process, which is very costly, and very inconvenient in many ways.   Upon completion and the swearing in, the people obtain a massive parchment-like document with elegant script and heralds, and it confers the title Citizen of the United States of America.   This business of people coming over and larding onto the system through the back door is an insult to those who have struggled and sacrificed to comply with an almost labyrinthine process to qualify for citizenship.
     Honourably Discharged foreign persons (Mexicans predominate in this category) can request and receive American citizenship as well.  A soldier, sailor, Marine, airman, or coast guard sailor can request this consideration (frequently it is offered) at the time of retirement or re-enlistment should the military person wish to re-enlist.

     So, the colonial Latins of Texas and those other political subdivisions that were once part of Spain, then Mexico, those who trace their background in Texas or other colonial areas of what became the United States, feel that their birthright citizenship is somewhat or considerably cheapened by the illegals who come and lard onto the system.  When it is said that "....and they (the illegals) work hard and pay taxes".....the whole truth is substantially different.  The illegal alien, Mexican, Canadian, Argentine,  or otherwise does not pay taxes as does a Texan or other type of American.  They pay essentially only sales taxes, which are unavoidable.
     It they are paying income tax withholding and medicare deduction, etc. that means they have stolen or procured a social security number illegally.   Only the native, or legally naturalised, or legally-admitted with a work-permit can participate in the IRS system and Social Security Programmes.   The illegal alien can only participate by means of fraud.

     So the insipid response or observation that the illegal alien is building and contributing to the overall prosperity of a locale, a region, a State, or to the nation is ludicrous.  We are besieged by women who have snuck into the Republic of Texas, and dropped a baby, and thereby gained all but  permanent residency by virtue that, while she is an illegal alien, her baby supposedly is a Texas and / or American citizen, and needs the presence of his / her mother.  The mother qualifies almost instantly for about 35,000 United States Dollars per annum for food, shelter, medical services, and myriad other services.   A few more babies, a more dollars.  It becomes a "way of life".  An easy phrase to say, a miserable existence for the indolent, and the taxpayer.

     Lamentably, still (and this applies moreso among the Mexicans), there is the illegal alien who actually comes to work in Texas or the USA,  and then go back to Mexico.  They  actually are industrious, compliant, and careful about "walking the line", so as to stay out of trouble.  The thing is that in the 1950s the percentage who thought and performed that way was something like 96% or more of the illegals.  Now it might be 50%.
     Jose', the assistant gardener and lawns-tender at the Country Club is increasingly rare.  He  has too frequently replaced by Balde, the Mara Salvatrucha - MS13.   Just this picture (above) alone should chill even the most ardent "open borders" advocate to the spine.

We retire.  Thanks for your time and patience, as usual.
El Gringo Viejo

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An OROG posted this on his FB Screed

    We have a friend in South Carolina who is always combing for humourous and / or interesting commentary.  He frequently finds remarkable jewels in the English language, both secular and sacred in origin.  Below, we include one of his submissions to a relatively large following on Facebook.   We use him as a confidant and as a source for reliable information as well as humour.  To wit:

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     One of the first outfalls of the Orwellian saga is that he was identified as a "liberal" by the avant garde and he was celebrated. Of course, as the days have gone by since his time, it has been demonstrated that it is the false intellectuals of the left....the Bolshevik, the National Socialist, the Progressive, the "democratic socialist" and the ever-so-effete liberal.....who have fulfilled the prophesies of Orwell.

Sincerely composed and submitted,

El Gringo Viejo

________________

Predictable, lamentable, and they say it is my fault and yours....

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     The celebration of homosexual rights and acceptance and tolerance left behind the reminder of the true nature of the exemplary conduct of the social reformers and those who wish to condemn and  instruct the old, traditional, the disciplined, the compliant, and those who have a true communitarian catechism.

     They demonstrate with all the arrogance of a two year old child, who knowing everything, does not recognise his/her ignorance.

Downtown Houston

After the "Gay Pride Day" parade

    This is the example of what those who wish to instruct us always do.  They break, soil, trash, and ruin, and then expect someone else to pick up the mess.   It is troubling that the Obsolete Press adulates these people, and the rioters, and the Occupy Wall Street vermin, and the Ferguson Looters while denigrating and ridiculing those of us who strive to maintain all areas under our control and purview as clean and orderly so as to make a joyous noise unto the Lord.

Topsy is turvy, and good has become bad.   Straight becomes curvy, it is all very sad.

El Gringo Viejo

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Absurbimus Abundus Amungus

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     (1)     An asteroid is approaching Planet Earth, and lamentably, said asteroid is approximately 300 times the size of our Planet.  Best calculations indicate it will hit sometime next week.  Due to that fact, the Democrat National Committee has published some observations, analysis, and perhaps helpful guidance.

     First of all, the Republicans have done nothing about this.   They have stood in the way of every measure that we have reasonably proposed:

    Universal Free health care, with extra Asteroid protection clause

    Ferguson Marshall Plan for People of Colour (FMPPC)

   Special umbrellas for LGBTZQSJM5 persons

   Midnight yoga for women and others identifying as women or as "other than male gender who might be suffering from" Asteroid Stress Syndrome

   The Native American Casino Protection and Rehabilitation Act that provides for protection from     asteroids and funds for rebuilding Native American Casinos

  Non-Citizen (un-documented aliens from Planet Earth) Asteroid Exemption Act

   And an Act requiring immediate confiscation of money from the rich (anyone with 50,000 dollars of net worth or more) and its immediate redistribution to the people who need it more and from whom the money has been stolen since the foundation of the White Race, especially in America. This bill also authorises the confiscation of any excess profits held by people of Latin or Black African ancestry who have ever even thought about voting Republican, a form of Hate-Crime.

    A call for an International Climate and Asteroid United Nations Conference in 18 months, to be held in La Havana de Cuba to celebrate the 73rd Anniversary of the beginning of the Liberation  of Cuba from the domain of the Yanqui Imperialist Usurpers.  And Women's Issues.  And Trans. And a conversation about Race.  And Muslim After-Asteroid refugee resettlement project conversations.

     This last note:   Planned Parenthood Offices will be closed on Asteroid Day.   Merry Solstice.

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(2)     On a bit more serious note, we find ourselves always appearing to be "taking Mexico's side" in this or that matter at least in the opinion of some readers and observers of A Gringo in Rural Mexico blog.  Your humble commentator is not an apologist for Mexico.   I see Mexico with both eyes open, warts, moles, and beauty marks.

     But, both in the reporting of negative and positive news of Mexico, one must be especially careful of what is published.   In terms of the negative, almost any news service such as McClatchy, New York Times, AP, Los Angeles Times, etc. go out of their way to report in a twisted way so as to put Mexico in the worst light possible.   In terms of the positive, beware of glowing accounts about time-shares or "adult community" life in Chapala, found in advertisements or  articles published in travel mags and publications.  Financial Times seems to do a good job, just to balance my remarks.

     Also, almost any travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State is almost certainly going to be either a reprint of an identical advisory from four years ago or too vague to employ in any positive way or it will be totally inaccurate.

     This writer is certainly not the final authority nor the all-knowing presence in the Hemisphere.  But, there are things that a person knows, especially after accomplishing three-score and ten, with

 Hercule Poirot

much of that being in, on, and around Mexico, and to many of the corners, depths, and peaks thereof.  Coupled with our family's experience with the workers who attended to our affairs on the Texas frontier with Mexico....almost all of whom came from the interior of Mexico....the OROG can perhaps have a little more confidence of my understanding of the people from a realistic and perhaps even sympathetic viewpoint.
   Throw on lore of the family stemming from a great-grandfather and a grandmother who owned a 1,500 acre plantation in the mountains to the west of the coastal city of Tuxpam, Vera Cruz during the 1880s up through the early part of the 1900s, and one might appreciate that even my genetic patterning could assist in "lubricating" the synapses  of understanding in my "little grey cells".
     In the Case of the Phantom Homicide Statistics, it was widely published that Mexico is now the second most violent country in the world in terms of homicides.  It was also pointed out repeatedly that only one place had more casualties (deaths) by violence than Mexico, and that was Syria.   They make the case that Mexico has had 30,000 killings of various types, since Vincente Fox Quezada, and especially Felipe Calderon Hinojosa (both rightwing, Republican-like Presidents from the National Action Party) came to power.   The overwhelming majority of said homicides have been associated with the scourge of the narcotics trade and wars.

     Quickly, so as not to bore, true statistical comparison of countries, in terms of any commodity or  demographic characteristic can only be done on the basis of incidence per a certain number-constant.  For instance,  let us say Baltimore has a homicide rate of 154 per 100,000 per annum.  We could then compare Baltimore to a place like LaFayette County, Texas that has perhaps a 2 homicide rate per 100, 000 and discern which is more dangerous.   We attach a chart so that readers can discern for themselves how much difference there is in the image when apples are compared to apples instead of comparing apples to tennis rackets:

(1)  Mexico                           19
(2)  Colombia                       26
(3)  Bahamas                       30
(4)  Guatemala                    31
(5)  Trinidad / Tobago        31
(6)  Belize                           34
(7)  St. Kitts                        35
(8)  South Africa               36
(9)  Brazil                          39
(10) Jamaica                     43
(11) US Virgin Islands     53
(12) Honduras                 84
(13) Nicaragua                84
(14) El Salvador            108
(15) Venezuela               115

     This is not a list of all countries, only a listing of some that show where Mexico compares with other places known, and perhaps not so well known.   Once again,  these are homicides per 100,000 persons in said countries.   Some might say that there is a "trick" here to make Mexico look good, but such is not the case.  Setting the number-per-100,000 gives the observer the exact level of security he/she can compare to another region or nation.   The United States, for instance, has something like 5.6 per 100,000, while certain urban precincts in the United States might seriously have numbers ranging well into the triple digit level.
     Mexico has the further disadvantage because the vast majority (well over 90%)of "homicides" should more properly be listed as "organised criminal military-style casualties and other deaths associated with criminal drug trafficking".   The Mexican military, for instance, has lost over 560 dead during the past 10 years, although they seldomly ever lose or draw a confrontation.
     Many folks are unaware that Mexico has a population of 125, 000, 000 people and occupies a land area that is three times the size of Texas.   So it is not as if it is Luxembourg having nightly shoot-outs with all combatants armed with bazookas.   It is also true that those who remain removed from the "traffic" have reduced their exposure to "problems" by over 99%, because the vast majority of the deaths being incurred in Mexico are due to confrontations between various gangs seeking "domain rights" in certain locales, as stated in a different way above.

     The most lamentable thing, of course, are the civilians, honest or more or less honest cops, and the very valiant Mexican Army and Naval Infantry who are affected by this plague.

     We would wish, in any regard, that the Department of State and/or the White House and/or whoever else is pushing this story including, the leftist Obsolete Media that dominates the newspaper and television news outlets would desist.  They are fooling folks who cannot spend the time to centrifuge the statistics and they are not fooling those of us who know the truth.

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(3)    Finally we note that the family of the Gentle Giant, Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri fame was awarded $1,500,000 as compensation for Michael's death.   This award was given by a cowed city, gained by an eloquent and sincere attorney, I am sure, and perhaps it will restore some form of Karma to that horrid situation.

     We remember, however, that the family (or families, due to the convoluted nature of which is the step-father, which is the baby-mother, and which is the place where he "stays") set up dueling "Michael Brown Memorabilia Stands" at different ends of the town.  There were several physical conflicts between the dueling mothers and relatives to see who could dominate in sales of Michael Brown T-shirts and other such things.  It appeared as something akin to walrus mud-wrestling. 

     Several of these episodes were video-recorded, but we stopped looking after the first one because it seemed to be so terribly disgusting that the boy's body was barely cold before the people who cared naught about him, who should have cared the most, were essentially casting lots over shreds of his memory.   And to think, they were doing it for their own selfish, personal gain.  What price dignity?

     And these people were presented at the Democrat National Convention as some kind of national heroes.  In the case of both Michael and Treyvon, it seemed to be somewhat obvious that neither of those two boys, at least, had anyone invested emotionally in either.

     There are cases of police excesses to be sure.  But the development of an essentially un-fathered category of child, repeated thousands upon thousands upon thousands of times, results in the production of so very many children whose souls wither and rot within them long before adulthood.

     The white child who beat a four-person killing in a DWI incident a couple of years ago in Dallas is another example of the same thing...The attorney says the child is "disadvantaged" because of having been over-indulged and pampered, and so he could not determine right from wrong, nor could he exert any form of self-control.  He had, and still has, no soul.

Please.   Spare me.  Must we continue to live in dread of these monsters?  

El Gringo Viejo

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Russians, Shootings, Republicans killing people by denying them medical services....whew.....it's a jungle out there.

This cat actually collapsed after listening to Nancy Pelosi
explaining to an assembly about how valuable she still is
to the Democrat Party.  We hope she stays at the reins, for
the good of the Republic.  The cat is still unconscious. 

          It is all very exhausting.  Pocahantas declaring that the Republican plan to Repeal, Repair, and Reboot BarryCare is actually a plan to kill people.   She states it clearly on the floor of the august chamber of the Senate of the United States of America, and she does it with a straight and very grim, scowling face.

    Bernie Sanders and others of the Democrat Party....Chucky Schemer, Al Franken, and other such paragons .....plod up to the lecturn to lecture the empty chamber about the plan the Republicans have that is intentionally designed to kill people and to deny the American people the least mite of dignity while they are forced into diseased, starving extinction.

     Each declares in his/her own droning, somber way that the Republican Plan is full of cutbacks for those most in need and tax breaks for the wealthy.   It is a very troubling scene one can conjure while listening to these great minds.   It is especially compelling when one considers that during this succession of incredibly boring, every-word-predictable dronings-forth, not one of the speakers has had any inkling of information about what the Senate plan contains as it attempts to mesh with the already passed plan from the House of Representatives.

     Yet, they are fully certain that the Senate Plan is identical to the House Plan in terms of killing people and making rich people richer.

     They are made bolder by their hubris and ignorance, knowing that their base of supporters would probably not know the difference between the process of passing a complex piece of bi-cameral legislation and a lug-wrench.   These are the people who were led seven years ago by a Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who reminded the assembled at one point in their 2,900 page Obamacare disaster that, "We shall have to pass the Bill in order to find out what's in it."

     These are the people whose "economic genius" and the engineer of the mechanics of the Obamacare Monster, a certain Dr. Gruber, declared that the people putting the Bill together were fortunate because the American people were too stupid and ignorant to understand what Obamacare would actually be and what it would require.

    But, one still must admire how deftly the Democrat minority in the United States Congress can deny participation to Republican participation in 2009 to forge a bipartisan style "health care" act, and then in 2017 declare afore-hand that they would not assist or participate in any restructuring or change in Obamacare, in spite of the fact that Obamacare had....in truth....already collapsed of its own weight.   Complexity, contradictory objectives, corruption, intellectual and moral authors of low and poor quality caused Obamacare to be the medical equivalent of aeronautic engineering of the airplane known as the Spruce Goose of Howard Hughes fame.  That plane cost, in to-day's terms, about one billion dollars, took three years to build, made one flight....of 400 yards...and has since rested in a museum.
     The amphibious craft was designed to carry two tanks, 750 combat infantry, and supplies to fight for a month, along with other rolling stock.  It was a good idea, perhaps....or perhaps not.

Thanks for your time and attention.
El Gringo Viejo

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A few words to try to see if the saddle is cinched right....

     We have the never ending problem about trying to gain possession of our photos due to the very, very peculiar process we must use.   We have to render our photos into some cavern deep inside the computer, then start trying to recover them.  That means finding my desired picture and then posting it to Facebook, then sending from Facebook to "downloads" so as to be able to then "select" the picture for posting on the blog.

     At times we can copy and paste the photo directly onto the blog manuscript, although not dependably.

     The blooms above are part of what is called a "rebrote" which in English means a "re-blossoming".   It is the "second blush" of the Flamboyan trees that are the signature of the beginning of Summer in the Mexican eastern tropics.  This year there were relatively heavy rains during the original blossoming and that seems to cause a second pass at the apple, so to speak.

     We have seven of these trees on our lot, ranging from small medium (15 feet) to relatively large for their age trees of 16 years reaching up to 30 feet or a little more.  The one pictured above is a smaller one that provides shade and colour near our little "cochera" (carport) in front of the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre.   The trees are normally about a time and a half wider in diameter than they are tall.    Lots of dried twigs in the early Winter, and lots of falling leaves right around Christmastide, but it all seems to be worth it.

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     We had a bit of a contretemps about a week ago when I lost the absolute control over my legs, below the knees, and to a lesser extent of my forearms and hands.   Figuring my number was up, and I would rather sing the last  verses of Happy Trails up in the Adobe Hut, I began to try to trudge up from the banks of the Rio Corona, but such was not to be.

This is right where Prieto the Dog
 decided to slobber on me

     It was necessary to literally crawl up about 200 yards, over a gravel, bedrock, and gritty trail.  Luckily, I encountered a long piece of cardboard and used it to somewhat buffer the effect of the trail upon the knees and elbows.  My two "go-for-a-walk" cats (Calico and Cleopatra), and my black dog Prieto (meaning dark or "blackie") actually stayed with me all the way up.   Once there, with some effort, I managed to stand up, and promptly fell down backwards.

     The back of my head made contact with some well-placed, medium-sized rocks.  The next thing that we realized was that Preto was licking my face and doing some kind of whining-barking thing, while I began to call out for Ciro, the majordomo of the Hacienda de La Vega, which is adjacent.  Before long, Ciro was there along with my nearest neighbours who live on the lot at the Quinta's back door.

Bloody mess about which El Gringo Viejo was
completely unaware until the next day.

    That gave us three men, and the daughter of the neighbour and another woman who has a home and store about 20 yards up the "street",  facing my back-door neighbour's lot and home.   They helped me to the corridor of the Quinta, where I was positioned, comfortably, in one of the two complex bright-white plastic chairs (very heavy duty).   These chairs were a gift from the In-Laws of my daughter, who had them left-over from moving the their parents from one nice facility to another more appropriate for their needs.

     It was all rather comedic, except that the return of the use of my extremities was taking longer than I was willing to tolerate.  All were thanked, and my shirt was taken to the neighbour's to be washed.  As for me, I decided to chance at least a quick, warm shower.   This was accomplished, and it was decided to lay down for a moment and rest.   Thankfully, I had gotten fully dressed before starting my nap, because no more t han three minutes later, Ciro the Mayordomo came in with the other major householder in  the Ejido Francisco Madero, a retired lady and the two of them told me to get up and that we had to go to Ciudad Victoria to the "hospital".  They had been ordered by the owner of the Hacienda de La Vega to take me there at all haste.   It was neither worth the argument or the resistance.  Into the backseat of the lady's Focus, and off we went.
     Within thirty minutes we had arrived, including the traffic, lights, etc.  One thing that helped was that the little rural State highway we use to go to Victoria has been upgraded, sharply.   It is amazing how many small, medium, and even some large public projects have been done during this new Governor's brief period of service so far.
     We took the Periferico road and wound up very close to the Prison that had had quite a disorder the week before, once again quelled by this new National Action Party Governor,  Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca.   We were going the wrong way, because the Hospital Civil was in the other direction.  In short order I learned that we were going in the correct direction because we were heading for the relatively new Red Cross Emergency and Trauma Clinica.   We pulled into the parking lot, and lo and behold, there was the owner of the Hacienda de La Vega, with a wheelchair waiting.
      He was accompanied by a doctorette, and a charge nurse, all of whom trucked me into a consulting room where other nurses began looking at the back of my head, and poking around in said region.  Blood pressure was taken, it seems like every 15 minutes, and a bit of blood was drawn, eye and retinal reactions tested along with other reflexes.  I revealed my two small plastic bags of snake oil that I take....as requested by the owner of the Hacienda....so as to orient the personnel at the Clinica de Cruz Roja Mexicana what my medicines are.   
     As usual, it was a bit of a task to convince them that this Gringo has no medicine, only vitamins, aspirin, probiotics, that are taken within a very regular regimen.   When a brief time had passed by and the personnel was convinced that this particular Gringo did not take any medicine, the lady Doctor asked if I had been drinking enough water and if I had been eating correctly.   My answer had to be no.....simply because of laziness.....it is just no fun to cook for oneself.
     A bevy of white uniformed, scowling females, holding their laptops, and swinging their stethoscopes in a not-to-aggressive way frowned at me while the Doctora informed me that I was between moderately to severely dehydrated.   My blood pressure upon entering was 88 / 56,  and the last reading was up to my normal 106 / 68, and she informed me that they could tell by my eyes and this or that .  They had been giving me what I thought was water fairly steadily, but found out at that time that they there plastic tubes of electrolytic waters.
      She told the owner of the Hacienda de La Vega that it would be necessary to take a good supply of electrolytic water and gatorade and Electrolit Suero Rehidratante back to the Santa Engracia area and check on the Gringo every few hours, because....".....it is evident that he is not capable of taking care of himself, apparently."

    I attempted to pay whatever bill there was, as did my friend Rafael, but there was no charge.  And, it is true, that many....most...services at the Mexican Red Cross have no charge.   Back into the wheelchair (humiliating), and taking my little packet of four "starter" Suero Rehidratante plastic bottles.   After expressing eternal gratitude and so forth, etc.etc. we started back to my little mud hut in Nowhere, Mexico.   We stopped briefly, at my insistence, at a PEMEX service station where I bought 200 pesos worth of fuel for La Maestra, which was the least that I could do perhaps.
     After a couple of days of hanging around the house again, doing chores, and trying to be better about eating and hydration, the bloody chair caught my attention.  By that time, my Mayordomo had come up from his community about 70 miles to the South of us, in order to take charge of the decrepit old fool that owns the mud hut.   Interestingly, he and I are almost exactly to the month the same age.   We put ourselves to work on the "Bloody Chair", and turned it back into the really nice piece of comfortable, eye-pleasing furnishing that it is.
    We include a picture of the cleaned-up chair so that all will know that we are at least somewhat industrious.

Thank you all for putting up with this silly, self-involved story, but it might serve to let folks understand the comings and goings of life in that area where the above chair lives and works.   And is cleansed vigourously, frequently, and whether it needs it or not.

El Gringo Viejo

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